Seriously, what were the “Warner Brothers” thinking marketing this movie towards a target audience of mainly impressionable kids with all the promos and paraphernalia. As an adult,I would probably enjoy it- retro music, brilliant tap dancing and animation. But a weak story about Ocean pollution and preserving the environment for wild life specifically of the penguin kind in the southern hemisphere. This movie probably racked in millions of dollars and was a success. But if you ask me, it was a sheer waste of my hard earned $50.00 ( tickets + snacks for a family of four).
We took our 4 and 6 year old for to see this movie, after they watched the trailer, about this cute and cuddly ill penguin, who tap dances. All excited and charged up, they wait for the warm and fuzzies to happen, instead what they get is boring retro music of which they have no idea of, penguins dancing and singing in the most suggestive and vulgar manner inappropriate for kids. Half way thought the movie the main character penguin is chased by a mean looking Seal who is so menacing that my 4 year old rips out a blood curdling scream and he is petrified and sitting on my lap for the rest of the movie with his eyes closed and ears covered. He pretty much sobbed for the rest of the movie only to take breaks to sip his drink and munch on popcorn. My six year old was bored beyond belief and declared-”Dad, we don’t want to see movie this again”, normally if they like a movie in the theater we wait for it to be released on DVD, rent and watch it again till heart’s content.
Whoever is heard of a bosomy female penguin( penguins do not have bosoms), at least that is how the main female penguins are portrayed in the movie? Raised chest thrusting gently forward as they walk, talking in “bedroom voice”( Nicole Kidman), clearly an attempt to make the young audience notice. What was with the goofy accents of the Latino sounding (ethnic?) penguins?
Guys! see this movie for all its worth, the music, tap dancing and animation which is far out. But, leave your toddlers and kids under 7 at home. It will not make any sense to them and also save them from nightmares. Also, there is enough filth on regular TV. If I want environmental messages, I will watch PBS of which I am a huge fan and thankful for quality age appropriate programs, at appropriate times.
The story is nothing to write home about, so I am going to save you the trouble. Bottom line is- in the Penguin world, human beings are evil. To sum it up, my message to the Warner Brothers: Shame on you for misleading my kids, if you have any decency, you will refund my money. Thanks for nothing!!
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Monday, June 14, 2010
Prem Naseer- Superstar of yesteryears
You wanted low budget, commercial movies?-Prem Naseer doled out 100’s of them, over 700 to give a ballpark figure. Cine Goers loved him, especially women who loved the tear jerker family dramas he acted in with Sheela, Sharada and Jayabharati.
If Sathyan was the upper-crust elitist’s accomplished actor, Prem Naseer was everybody’s hero, a true blue collar working class actor, who tirelessly churned out movies after movies for the rich and poor, the penniless farmers and the handrikshaw pullers, the coolies at the railway station and the expatriate malayalees, like my parents who moved to northern part of India looking for work and a better life. He romanced the heroines, beat up the bad guys, played the unemployed union activist, dedicated son and rich spoiled brat with a soft heart, with equal aplomb.
He made a good team with Adoor Bhasi as the comedic sidekick. As a lead pair, Sheela acted with him in a record number of movies. In my eyes he was a true super star, remaining a top Malayalam film actor for many years spanning from early sixties to the early seventies. if Amitabh was my favorite Hindi actor for his splendid performance in Zanjeer and Deeewar, Prem Naseer was my favorite Malayalam actor for all the cheap laughs and stunts, melodious songs ( sung by Yesudas), and family drama.
Naseer sir, thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing 3 hours of fantasy, every now and then which otherwise was a somewhat forgettable childhood, dealing with the anguish of blue collar working class parents, antagonistic surroundings and a general sense of not belonging.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
If Sathyan was the upper-crust elitist’s accomplished actor, Prem Naseer was everybody’s hero, a true blue collar working class actor, who tirelessly churned out movies after movies for the rich and poor, the penniless farmers and the handrikshaw pullers, the coolies at the railway station and the expatriate malayalees, like my parents who moved to northern part of India looking for work and a better life. He romanced the heroines, beat up the bad guys, played the unemployed union activist, dedicated son and rich spoiled brat with a soft heart, with equal aplomb.
He made a good team with Adoor Bhasi as the comedic sidekick. As a lead pair, Sheela acted with him in a record number of movies. In my eyes he was a true super star, remaining a top Malayalam film actor for many years spanning from early sixties to the early seventies. if Amitabh was my favorite Hindi actor for his splendid performance in Zanjeer and Deeewar, Prem Naseer was my favorite Malayalam actor for all the cheap laughs and stunts, melodious songs ( sung by Yesudas), and family drama.
Naseer sir, thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing 3 hours of fantasy, every now and then which otherwise was a somewhat forgettable childhood, dealing with the anguish of blue collar working class parents, antagonistic surroundings and a general sense of not belonging.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Movie Review: Sleepers
Sleepers, released in the late 90’s is a chilling story of innocence lost, pedophilia, revenge and redemption. This movie is based on a controversial novel about life in the Hell’s Kitchen( part of Manhattan, New York) in the late 1960’s in the backdrop of Mob(organized crime), Catholic Church, poverty and anguish of it’s blue collar inhabitants.
With a lineup of Super stars like Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Ron Eldard, Minnie Driver, Jason Patric and Billy Crudup, Sleepers is well acted and deftly crafted. This is a story of how a simple prank which went wrong turns into a life changing event for 4 innocent boys (Lorenzo, Michael, John and Tommy) who are best friends. They steal a hot dog vendor’s cart of which they lose control of going down the steps and nearly causes a man’s death. They are found guilty of reckless endangerment and sent to a juvenile reform School( Wilkinson) in upstate New York. There, under the watchful eye of a sadistic guard named Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), they are subjected to mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Although their sentences are only for a year, those twelve months fundamentally alter their personalities.
Fast forward to 1981 when John and Tommy (Ron Eldrad and Billy Crudup) who have turned into hardened criminals have a chance meeting with Nokes in a restaurant and kill him in cold blood. The ensuing court drama entails Michael(Brad Pitt) an attorney in the D A’s office prosecuting his old friends while at the same time secretly plotting their acquittal. Lorenzo (Jason Patric) who is an aspiring newspaper reporter is helping Michael, along with Father Bobby ( Robert DeNiro) a washed out lawyer ( Dustin Hoffman) and Carol ( Minnie Driver), to turn the trial into a indictment against all the abusive guards, who they tolerated as delinquents 15 years ago at Wilkinson.
The movie’s moral compass is Father Bobby, a Catholic priest who recognizes that friendship and loyalty may require sacrifice of the soul, but doesn’t tread lightly across the line separating what’s legally correct and what’s ethically mandated. In fact, Father Bobby’s dilemma is arguably the most compelling aspect of Sleepers’ in the latter part of the movie. I am a big De Niro fan and this I have to say is one of his best performance. In fact, De Niro isn’t the only one to turn in a powerful performance. Kevin Bacon as the ruthless, sadistic, pedophile cop is chilling. Ron Eldard, who has few lines to say in the movie, is brilliant. Dustin Hoffman as the lawyer with a substance problem is simply superb. Then there are those intense scenes in the Wilkinson reform school(nothing overly graphic is shown, but much is implied).
I have to caution you, this movie can be really disturbing and traumatizing and can leave a lasting impression.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Movie Review: Training Day
I love Denzel Washington! Great performer and actor, has a fantastic stage presence. “Remember the Titans”, “Malcolm X”, “Philadelphia”, the list goes on and on and then there was “Training Day”. Whoa…what a performance, Academy award, Best Actor. But wait a minute, he plays a bad guy, rogue cop!, would I want to see this movie again….any other Denzel movie…I will watch it again, again and again, alright you get my drift, I just love him too much. Training Day? not a chance…..it was too creepy. Denzel takes on a role which perhaps was tailor made for him. He is probably one of the most decent Hollywood types. but I doubt if any one could play the part of “Alonzo Harris” so convincingly. He did it so well that it gives you the chills. An accredited film personality like Ethan Hawke looks like an after thought in that movie.
Released in 2001,setting is the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, shot in notoriously dangerous housing projects. The movie follows a single day in the life of a young cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) as he is subject to a day evaluation by Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated LAPD police narcotics officer, to see if he has what it takes to be a “Narc”.
Alonzo as it appears has sold his soul to the devil and does not care a damn about anyone including the rookie. He is all about himself and saving his ass. He is ruthless and all he cares about that day is to figure out a way to pay off the Russian mob who he owes a million dollars in gambling debt. Jake on the other hand is an honest cop excited about his first day as a “narc”. Alonzo insists on indulging him in activities that are unpolice like and uses it against him at a later stage.
Alonzo is also this narcissistic individual who is banging a stunning Eva Mendes, and is the self proclaimed king of the Ghetto. He and the other corrupt co- officers stages this fake sting operation and steals stashes of money from a dealer which is supposed to be used to pay off the Mob. Jake takes on Alonzo, almost gets killed and eventually tames him into submission and even the ghetto dwellers who once feared him turns against him.
The last few minutes is kinda unreal as the bad guy is gunned down execution style by the people who he owes money. A good story which got mangled in the end. Ethan Hawke delivers but in the presence of Denzel, he is simply a shadow. Eva Mendes is gorgeous. Denzel we bow before thee, we are simply not worthy. Will I watch this movie again?….maybe, with one eyes closed . I say see it….but tell the kids to stay away!.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Released in 2001,setting is the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, shot in notoriously dangerous housing projects. The movie follows a single day in the life of a young cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) as he is subject to a day evaluation by Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated LAPD police narcotics officer, to see if he has what it takes to be a “Narc”.
Alonzo as it appears has sold his soul to the devil and does not care a damn about anyone including the rookie. He is all about himself and saving his ass. He is ruthless and all he cares about that day is to figure out a way to pay off the Russian mob who he owes a million dollars in gambling debt. Jake on the other hand is an honest cop excited about his first day as a “narc”. Alonzo insists on indulging him in activities that are unpolice like and uses it against him at a later stage.
Alonzo is also this narcissistic individual who is banging a stunning Eva Mendes, and is the self proclaimed king of the Ghetto. He and the other corrupt co- officers stages this fake sting operation and steals stashes of money from a dealer which is supposed to be used to pay off the Mob. Jake takes on Alonzo, almost gets killed and eventually tames him into submission and even the ghetto dwellers who once feared him turns against him.
The last few minutes is kinda unreal as the bad guy is gunned down execution style by the people who he owes money. A good story which got mangled in the end. Ethan Hawke delivers but in the presence of Denzel, he is simply a shadow. Eva Mendes is gorgeous. Denzel we bow before thee, we are simply not worthy. Will I watch this movie again?….maybe, with one eyes closed . I say see it….but tell the kids to stay away!.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Movie Review: Mere- Apne
Flashback to 1975, a 12 year old boy and his 8 year old sister waiting patiently at a Ramlila ground in the outskirts of Bhopal for a “sadak chhap” ( street free-bee) movie to begin. The movie- “MERE-APNE”, starring Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna, Shotgun Sinha and the regulars during early 70’s. When I say regular, all movies had Asrani, Paintal, Danny Denzongpa, AK Hangal and the likes in almost all movies. OK…so the movie begins at about 7.30pm give or take 15 minutes depending upon the scope of technical difficulties, sound testing etc. 20 to 30 minutes into the movie, we run home…….why? we have a 8.00pm or 8.30pm curfew…strictly enforced by Dad. Repeat the same scene about 10 to 15 times. Yes, ladies and gentlemen me and my dear sister watched the first 15-30 minutes of Mere-Apne umpteen times in the mid 70’s. Fast forward to 2007, I am sitting in the comfort of my family room with Sony surround sound and voila…I watched the whole movie after 30+ years with tears running down my eyes, thinking about my sister. She is in Baroda and did not think too much of it:-)
This movie narrates a story of unemployment, vigilante justice, failure of idealism, moralities and nonviolence, wily politicians, manipulative family members, corruption, Youth frustration, anger and discontent.
Mind you, India was a young democracy then, A young director, Gulzarji, who identifies with what was prevalent, captures the essence of unrest in the nation. he brings out the best in Shatrughan Sinha ( in my opinion, this movie belongs to him), Vinod Khanna and Meena Kumari. Danny, Mehmood and the rest of the crew did their part to perfection. No melodrama, no histrionics.
Although the theme appears to be the plight of Meena Kumari as an old timer being manipulated by young relatives to take care of their home and child and enmity and hatred between two rival street gangs, one has to look beyond that to understand how the director is subtly mocking the society and urging the common man to wake up and smell the coffee.
I really urge you to see this movie if you haven’t, it could be a wake up call or gentle refresher. Music is gentle and catchy. Shatru will keep you on the edge, Vinod Khanna will give you your money’s worth and Meena Kumari will steal your heart with her performance, Danny will leave you teary eyed.
Soak in and Enjoy.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
This movie narrates a story of unemployment, vigilante justice, failure of idealism, moralities and nonviolence, wily politicians, manipulative family members, corruption, Youth frustration, anger and discontent.
Mind you, India was a young democracy then, A young director, Gulzarji, who identifies with what was prevalent, captures the essence of unrest in the nation. he brings out the best in Shatrughan Sinha ( in my opinion, this movie belongs to him), Vinod Khanna and Meena Kumari. Danny, Mehmood and the rest of the crew did their part to perfection. No melodrama, no histrionics.
Although the theme appears to be the plight of Meena Kumari as an old timer being manipulated by young relatives to take care of their home and child and enmity and hatred between two rival street gangs, one has to look beyond that to understand how the director is subtly mocking the society and urging the common man to wake up and smell the coffee.
I really urge you to see this movie if you haven’t, it could be a wake up call or gentle refresher. Music is gentle and catchy. Shatru will keep you on the edge, Vinod Khanna will give you your money’s worth and Meena Kumari will steal your heart with her performance, Danny will leave you teary eyed.
Soak in and Enjoy.
*Originally posted at passionforcinema.com/cletterman*
Monday, December 29, 2008
2008- A year to remember
I just realized that I have not posted a single article this year, 2008. How could it be?
So many things happend this year........
Firstly, for the first time in my life I got fired from a job....No.... not because I screwed up or was incompetent. I got into the face of my brand new manager and gave him some straight talk.I am not in the shit business, give no shit, take no shit, so when he was yelling at me for something that was no fault of mine, I let him have it, the only difference, I did not yell. I knew it was coming, I shoulda' resigned but I don't do anything without consulting my wife, so I did not. However, Human Resources acknowledged my flawless track record for 3.5 years and accepted my resignation. Thanks Amanda!
I did not have to wait too long, 4 weeks later I found a better paying job in a better environment. However, I was in a mood to experiment and check my credibility in the market, so I changed employers 2 more times before settling into my current position. Hey, it is good to know that you are wanted and if you have the right skillset, it is not that difficult to find another opportunity and get paid appropriately. It is a hassle dressing up in suits and going to interviews and fake enthusiasm but in the end it is all worth it, there are mouths to feed and bills to pay.
Second, I became a citizen of the United States of America. After 16 years of living in North America, I took the plunge and this great nation adopted me as a naturalized citzen. Not a big deal, but considering the path I took, it was a big deal. God Bless America, my home sweet home. Prior to becoming a US citizen, I was a Canadian for 8 years.
Mumbai, a city which is close to my heart, where I became a man from a child got hit by the worst kind of terrorism. 10 or more scumbags brutally raped the city and held a whole country hostage for close to 3 days. Shame on you, Indian politicians, it is a tossup between you and the gun yielding terrorists, who are worse?. I leave it upto the good judgement of the readers of this blog ( which are not that many :-))
This year we as a family we lost tens of thousands of dollars in our retirement funds, College Savings etc. Gives me the Hee..bee...gee..bees........hope we can recover and move forward, else there is no retirement in sight.
It has been a year full of ups and downs like a roller coaster. Hope it will bring a
better, peaceful and prosperous 2009.
So many things happend this year........
Firstly, for the first time in my life I got fired from a job....No.... not because I screwed up or was incompetent. I got into the face of my brand new manager and gave him some straight talk.I am not in the shit business, give no shit, take no shit, so when he was yelling at me for something that was no fault of mine, I let him have it, the only difference, I did not yell. I knew it was coming, I shoulda' resigned but I don't do anything without consulting my wife, so I did not. However, Human Resources acknowledged my flawless track record for 3.5 years and accepted my resignation. Thanks Amanda!
I did not have to wait too long, 4 weeks later I found a better paying job in a better environment. However, I was in a mood to experiment and check my credibility in the market, so I changed employers 2 more times before settling into my current position. Hey, it is good to know that you are wanted and if you have the right skillset, it is not that difficult to find another opportunity and get paid appropriately. It is a hassle dressing up in suits and going to interviews and fake enthusiasm but in the end it is all worth it, there are mouths to feed and bills to pay.
Second, I became a citizen of the United States of America. After 16 years of living in North America, I took the plunge and this great nation adopted me as a naturalized citzen. Not a big deal, but considering the path I took, it was a big deal. God Bless America, my home sweet home. Prior to becoming a US citizen, I was a Canadian for 8 years.
Mumbai, a city which is close to my heart, where I became a man from a child got hit by the worst kind of terrorism. 10 or more scumbags brutally raped the city and held a whole country hostage for close to 3 days. Shame on you, Indian politicians, it is a tossup between you and the gun yielding terrorists, who are worse?. I leave it upto the good judgement of the readers of this blog ( which are not that many :-))
This year we as a family we lost tens of thousands of dollars in our retirement funds, College Savings etc. Gives me the Hee..bee...gee..bees........hope we can recover and move forward, else there is no retirement in sight.
It has been a year full of ups and downs like a roller coaster. Hope it will bring a
better, peaceful and prosperous 2009.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Holiday Jitters and Social Anxiety
I have to admit.....I am a social retard. As much as I try to pretend, and try to fit in, I can't and it is such a catch 22 situation for me "damned if I do and damned if I don't". My wife on the other hand is just the opposite. She is going to drag me to atleast 4 Christmas social gatherings in this next one week and I am not all pleased about it. I have not much choice but tag along and pretend to make small conversations with people and enjoy myself.
Mind you......I am not a people hater. I like people and have no issues dealing with them on a one on one basis. Also, I have no issues with meetings and discussions as long as it is work related ,perhaps due to the fact that it provides me with a paycheck every 2 weeks and keeps the bills paid on time. In my younger days I would try to act all cool and try to fit in only to be shunned by the cooler ones, but now I can be myself and not care about what everyone else thinks about me.
I am sure it all goes back to my upbringing where we had a house full of people all the time and no privacy at any given time. There was some one or the other on your face all the time. My mother took the worst hit, cooking and cleaning after all these people in addition to taking care of her 4 little children including myself. Due to the expectation for her to produce the deliverables in a timely fashion,she was always on the edge and made us all edgy. One wrong move and we would all be in the line of fire. My poor mom, she vented all her anger on us kids and regretted later.
Holidays like Onam was the worst ands to date I dread when Onam comes around. Deepavali wasn't too bad as somehow my dad had an affinity for fireworks which was fun for all of us. We all got the customary new clothes and it was a better holiday than others. I did not really care for Holi, Vishu , Christmas or any other holidays. But when you have kids,it is different and do a lot of things differently for their sake and to create good memories for them.
We recently took a weeklong vacation at Disney World Florida. basically it was a holiday for the kids as it was a good age for them to experience the wonders of what Walt Disney created for little kids. it was grand, opulent and display of capiltalism at its best. We all had a lot of fun. But if it wasn't for the boys, I woulda' scrammed out of there even before I got in. Endless queues, exorbitant prices and phony park staff all around saying " have a magical day". Mickey rules these grounds and is probably revered more than God around there. I would jokingly tell my wife- Mickey is the 11th re-incarnation of Vishnu and is here to save the world along with Minnie, goofy, Pluto and the others. They will annoy the world into submission and peace will eventually prevail.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.
Cheers to new beginnings in 2008!!
Mind you......I am not a people hater. I like people and have no issues dealing with them on a one on one basis. Also, I have no issues with meetings and discussions as long as it is work related ,perhaps due to the fact that it provides me with a paycheck every 2 weeks and keeps the bills paid on time. In my younger days I would try to act all cool and try to fit in only to be shunned by the cooler ones, but now I can be myself and not care about what everyone else thinks about me.
I am sure it all goes back to my upbringing where we had a house full of people all the time and no privacy at any given time. There was some one or the other on your face all the time. My mother took the worst hit, cooking and cleaning after all these people in addition to taking care of her 4 little children including myself. Due to the expectation for her to produce the deliverables in a timely fashion,she was always on the edge and made us all edgy. One wrong move and we would all be in the line of fire. My poor mom, she vented all her anger on us kids and regretted later.
Holidays like Onam was the worst ands to date I dread when Onam comes around. Deepavali wasn't too bad as somehow my dad had an affinity for fireworks which was fun for all of us. We all got the customary new clothes and it was a better holiday than others. I did not really care for Holi, Vishu , Christmas or any other holidays. But when you have kids,it is different and do a lot of things differently for their sake and to create good memories for them.
We recently took a weeklong vacation at Disney World Florida. basically it was a holiday for the kids as it was a good age for them to experience the wonders of what Walt Disney created for little kids. it was grand, opulent and display of capiltalism at its best. We all had a lot of fun. But if it wasn't for the boys, I woulda' scrammed out of there even before I got in. Endless queues, exorbitant prices and phony park staff all around saying " have a magical day". Mickey rules these grounds and is probably revered more than God around there. I would jokingly tell my wife- Mickey is the 11th re-incarnation of Vishnu and is here to save the world along with Minnie, goofy, Pluto and the others. They will annoy the world into submission and peace will eventually prevail.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.
Cheers to new beginnings in 2008!!
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